Much like we paint and plaster our own houses today, Ancestral Puebloans used layers of colorful plaster to decorate their walls, inside and out.  Designs were often painted on with a fibrous brush or with fingers using paint made from a combination of colored pigments and dilutants/binders such as water, oils, and occasionally, urine.  Keep in mind that water was scarce in this arid climate.

This painting, found inside a room at Cliff Palace, includes triangles possibly representing mountains, and geometrical designs common to Ancestral Puebloan art.  Here is a challenge – do some research and form your own theories about what these designs might represent.  Remember, no one knows for sure.

Back to Artifact Gallery's main page